For the Plymouth boys soccer team, it came from a 6-year-old viral video of a news conference.

Coach Rommy Herrera said his players showed him a video of Coastal Carolina football coach David Bennett rant about how he wants his players to play like dogs not cats.

“The video doesn’t make sense. It’s the dumbest video ever, but now they won’t let me start a game without telling them to play like dogs. It’s their thing now,” Herrera said.

They’ve even taken it to the extreme as Plymouth continued its march to the WIAA Division 3 state semifinals, where the No. 4 Panthers face No. 1 Delavan-Darien on Friday.

“We were practicing at Kohler because they’ve got a new turf field, and a sign said no dogs allowed. So I’ve got the entire team telling me they’re not allowed to practice because they’re dogs and not allowed on the field,” Herrera laughed.

Herrera says his players will need to keep that junkyard dog mentality should they look to make Saturday’s state championship.

“This is going to be our toughest game of the season, no question. We need to play like we have been or they’ll score on us right away,” Herrera said.

It’ll be a contrast in styles as Plymouth has surrendered just 12 goals on the season while defending state champion Delavan-Darien has notched 150, including a combined 98 from just two players.

“It’s going to be interesting because you have the best offense in D3 facing the best defense,” Herrera said. “If we want to stop them, we have to play composed.”

Plymouth has focused on playing sound defense under Herrera because that’s what he’s stressed in his seven seasons.

“My philosophy on defense has always been to be tough,” Herrera said. “My players know if they play tough and don’t allow any goals they’re going to stay on the field.”

Still, Herrera is excited to be taking his team to state for the first time during his tenure.

“I’d always ask coaches what it’s like to get to state,” Herrera said. “It’s a great feeling because I’d always watch the semifinals and final down in Milwaukee but now we’re going to be playing in them.”

Rapid rebuild

In his second season in charge of Kohler, Rod Hogan has the Blue Bombers at state for the second time in school history, and first since 2009.

Hogan wanted to change the culture of a program he said was a bit on the rails.

“The last few years before I arrived, the team was a fragmented group. You had guys playing separated and fractured, not as a team,” Hogan said.

His first priority was to let the players know things were not going to stay that way.

“To me it’s been a function of changing the culture, creating a positive family-like atmosphere,” Hogan said. “The expectations us coaches have and the players have for themselves and their teammates are all ramped up.”

After winning 13 games last season, Kohler enters Friday’s Division 4 state semifinal against Sturgeon Bay as the No. 2 seed with an unblemished 26-0-1 record.

Even with a renewed intensity, the team’s rapid ascension took even Hogan by surprise.

“We got to state sooner than I expected,” Hogan said.

With increased expectations come added pressure to succeed.

“Last year we were excited to get as far as we could go in the playoffs. This year the opening games were a little more nerve-wracking because we wanted to have a postseason as good as the regular season,” Hogan said.

Hogan is confident in his team’s chances because the Blue Bombers have an offense not focused on one player.

Jack Kohler and Connor Cassidy each have 18 goals to lead the way while three other players have notched double-digit goals including 16 from Nick Wandschneider.

The Clippers, meanwhile, have gotten nearly 80 percent of their goals from a trio of players compared to just 50 percent by the Blue Bombers' top three.

“We’re not a one-man team, we can hurt you many different ways,” Hogan said. “We play a possession style and will be patient, working the ball until good opportunities are available.”

Even though the expectations are greater, Hogan says his players haven’t been fazed.

“They seem cool because they’ve been wrapped up in positive energy from their classmates and community,” Hogan said.